Waitress Megan Geller Fired for Wearing Tea Party Bracelet

Crystal Lake, Illinois waitress Megan Geller claims that she was fired for wearing a Tea Party bracelet with the words "Don’t Tread on Me,” the phrase that appears beneath the iconic snake on the yellow Gadsden flag, and which is often seen and heard at Tea Party rallies.

Geller told the Northwest Herald that a couple she was serving at the local Outback Steakhouse took offense and complained. Geller said her mother, Tonya Franklin, got the bracelet at a Tea Party event, and the couple dining at the restaurant did not like it and asked for the manager.

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After Geller was fired, a group rallied in front of the Outback Steakhouse, waving American and Gadsden flags and accusing the restaurant of violating her free speech rights.

Company officials say Geller was inattentive to diners at two tables and say that if the bracelet had been a problem, managers would have told her to remove it.